Limited Government and Free Market Views in Delaware

Where is the open government?

Following the 2009 legislative session, the Caesar Rodney Institute submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to Governor Markell’s office requesting an update and any results of the Governor’s performance audits, which the Governor has cited in recent days and weeks. CRI delayed its request until after the last minute deal-making of the session had come to an end. The request was sent to Markell’s chief of staff Thomas McGonigle both in email and in hard copy form. Sadly, over ten days have gone by and Mr. McGonigle has not even acknowledged receipt of the FOIA. This week, CRI re-submitted the request, again with no response. Follow up phone messages to Mr. McGonigle also went un-returned.

The lack of response to these requests for an update on the progress/status of the performance audits are troubling at best. Since the end of the legislative session, Governor Markell has announced plans to eliminate the Department of Finance by merging its duties and employees into other government agencies. It is likely that this move was made because something indicated to the Governor and his team that such a move would help right-size state government in light of the ongoing economic dilemma and the expected worsening of the state’s fiscal troubles in coming years. Knowing where the performance audits stand and more importantly, implementing the recommendations are key to getting Delaware on the right track. Whats more, the sooner the findings are released to the public, the sooner Delawareans can provide input and feedback on any proposed changes.

The non-response from the Governor’s office may indicate that either the audits are not ongoing or that he is unwilling to share this information.

The audits are a much needed undertaking for the state and the Caesar Rodney Institute is very much interested in the Governor’s findings. We want to see where cost savings can be made beyond the elimination of the Department of Finance. The sooner the results of the audits are made public, the sooner the public can examine them and weigh in. We eagerly await the administration’s honoring of our FOIA request so that the public at large can continue to assist the Governor through this time of remarkable change.

UPDATE, July 16, 2009

Today, CRI received an email from the Governor’s office acknowledging receipt of the above mentioned FOIA request (13 working days following the initial email request). They are reviewing the request and will be back in touch.

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2 Responses

The freedom of information is not something the government really believes should apply to them. There should always be sufficient time to erase any mistakes, make additions and deletions and any other suriptitious adjustments. Only mistakes about getting out of mistakes will ever be uncovered. This budget and any others this governor makes will be odd at best. This Governors annual plan seems to be to fain shortfall to at least some degree and place credit for the miraculous balancing of said budget on the one person who did nothing to get the job done, the Governor. While nobody including state employees had to suffer tax increases, we did however become the patsy of every citizen in this state so they go ‘scot free’ while we do the same or more for less than we bargained for, both in the form of pay and benefits. Before the citizens get in the ‘pile on’ mode, they might want to know, not evryone makes massive salaries for the state, most make quite little. To take as much from each as needed has simply hurt those at the bottom most and those at the top least. If you liken yourself to our employer, as a taxpayer, now you can also liken yourself to the despotic employer you have become.